Chinese fusion comfort food for winter.

This was an experiment that I made on Sunday, for guests. It turned out well, I am pleased to say. The guests said so, and I did ask for an honest appraisal. I thought it was a little sweeter than I would prefer, however, so in the recipe below I have reduced the amount of honey and marmalade from what I actually used. It could have done with more chilli, but I had a guest who is not fond of hot food. Add more if you like! Unfortunately in the excitement I forgot to take a photograph.

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets cut into pieces

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

a squirt of lemon juice

a splash of peanut oil

a splash of sesame oil

lots of garlic finely chopped

1 cup sliced shallots or an onion sliced into segments

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

a thumb of ginger, peeled and sliced thinly

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Marmalade

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp hoisin sauce

a good pinch of five-spice

1 heaped tsp cornflour in 2 Tbsp water

Sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice on the chicken, cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes

Heat the oil to smoking in a wok

Brown the chicken for a few minutes

Add the onion/shallots and stir-fry for a few minutes more

add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown slightly,

add the remaining ingredients except the cornflour/water and turn down the heat as low as it will go

simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently

turn up the heat and stir in the cornflour slurry. As soon as the sauce is thickened, turn down the heat again